John as Dad

John as Daddy

I went in to wish Brynley good night. She was crying. Frustrated by her less than perfect arithmetic, she said that she "felt dumb". I began to cheer lead, to encourage and to nurture. The tears kept flowing, the frustration was not laid to rest. Then her Daddy entered the room. He walked bedside, and placed his large hand on Brynley's tender cheek. Wiping tears away, John soothed his little girl, letting her know how proud he is of the way she is working and trying. Reminding her that she will grow smarter with effort and encouraging her not to give up. With calm words spoken and a touch only dad's can give, Brynley's crying ceased. She rolled onto her side, lights went out, and off she went to dreamland.

Sometimes there are words only believable when spoken by your Daddy. Compliments matter most when delivered by the man in the center of a child's life. It was this way for me. It is for those that are now mine.

John and I never bargained for a life raising six little souls. It was handed to us, one child at a time, and now sometimes we feel overwhelmed with the responsibility and the magnitude of what we are gone about doing. But in those moments, bedside, when John is Daddy and my little ones are in the palm of his hands, I know that we can do all that has been set before us. We can do it because of how John is Dad.